


maybe miracles

by ElasticElla



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, BAMF Melissa McCall, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canonical Character Death, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:50:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5135249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The funeral is going to be held on a Thursday. </p>
<p>Melissa's going back in time instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	maybe miracles

The funeral is going to be held on a Thursday. 

Melissa still can't comprehend the words in her planner. Can't even _think_ the underlying ones. She knew his world wasn't safe, had plenty of first hand experience with that. She just thought at the end of the day, that she would be the one not waking up again. She was the fragile human, Scott was a True Alpha. He'd already evaded death twice, a third time should have been possible, easy even. 

(She can still feel him in her arms, screaming at him to wake up again, pounding on his chest like it wouldn't matter fifteen minutes had already passed.)

.

Alan approaches her, late Wednesday night, with a maybe miracle, and she says yes. 

.

She would have said yes to anything, and time travel doesn't seem so far fetched anymore. Thursday morning, she sits on the nemeton, and tells herself to stop composing the eulogy. This was going to work. It had to. 

Alan says the important part is her belief, and she almost breaks. Belief was the last thing she had these days, but for Scott, she could do anything, even convince herself. She picks a simple mantra, _I can save him_ , and Alan starts the ritual, whispering in languages she can't recognize. There's a single line in English, _you will save another to save your son_ , and when the next sentence starts in Spanish, everything goes black. 

.

When Melissa opens her eyes, the first person she sees is Alan, and a wave of crushing despair rolls over her. It didn't work, they were out of options- and fuck, Scott was really-

“Excuse me? Can you hear me ma'am? Are you okay?” 

Melissa looks at him again, and he looks maybe younger, definitely in different clothes, and before she can get too excited, she asks, “What's today's date?” 

“January third, two thousand and four.” 

“It worked,” Melissa whispers. Somewhere close Scott is running around, just nine years old and _safe_. Even though she knows she can't- there are a million reasons why not- it's still tempting to go see him, to confirm he's here and well. 

Melissa steps off the nemeton, a chill settling on her shoulders like a shawl, and turns to the younger Deaton. “We should talk over tea.” 

.

Deaton listens to her story, heavily edited and what his older counterpart said would work, and digests it before he speaks. 

“I'm surprised you didn't come the year before last, that doesn't say much good about this year.” 

Melissa stays silent, Alan had been very clear that she couldn't change the time-line too much. She could save one other, any more, and the future she'd return to could be anything. (It's hard to say the certainty is worth all the lives that will stay lost, but she knows many possibilities doesn't include Scott's birth, and she won't gamble that.)

“Where do you need to stay?” 

“With the Hales.” 

And Deaton nods sadly, looking a little too much like his older counterpart. 

.

Talia Hale welcomes her without a question about the future, instead telling Melissa about her soon to be ex husband who can't be damned to lift a finger to help their kids. Scott's still in elementary, so Melissa offers to drive Cora, Derek and Laura to school. Talia gives a token protest, and Melissa says it's the least she can do for free room and board, and Talia tells her Laura's allergic to almonds. Melissa's didn't know werewolves could be allergic, and apparently Laura just really hates almonds. 

It's easy to play the stay at home mom, far less stressful than trying to juggle raising a kid alone and being a nurse, and Talia's kids are sweet. 

It'd be easier if she could forget about their futures. 

Laura's hatred for almonds only equals her hatred for forced social situations, and Talia keeps trying to coach her in the various niceties she'll need once she's the alpha. Laura tends to escape to the library, and Melissa might cover for her sometimes, feeling guilty that she doesn't have much time. 

Derek's out of the house the most, has a girlfriend that he won't talk about, but Cora teases him mercilessly over dinner. Cora likes to tease everyone, calls Melissa 'mom' after two months of bagged lunches and playing driver, and Melissa's eyes definitely don't get wet. She misses Scott, but she can compartmentalize, can do anything to bring him back.

Two months, and she's barely spoken to Talia, barely even seen the woman outside of late night snacks. 

“I don't know what I'd do without you,” she says once, when the moon's high in the sky and Melissa's barely awake. She grimaces, “I can only imagine what happened to my kids in your universe.” 

It's the first time she's mentioned it, and Melissa's too tired to weigh her words. “You couldn't have done that badly.” 

Talia barks out a laugh, “I would have put the pack first, I know it. It's okay.”

Melissa frowns, “Well you're not her.”

Talia stares, long enough that Melissa notices, anxiety pooling in her stomach. Maybe it was too much, wasn't her place to-

“Thank you Melissa,” Talia says, “good night.” 

And before she can say anything, the woman's gone, and the chill on her shoulders feels heavier than ever. 

.

At night Melissa's dreams have turned realistic like never before. Sometimes she's in her universe, sometimes the new one, but no matter what, she knows where the nemeton is, can feel it. It lives in the corner of her mind, and she doesn't go near. She's not ready yet, she needs someone that will stand by Scott no matter what. Someone powerful enough to withstand the winds of time trying to wither them away. 

She knew it'd be Talia going in, she just hadn't expected the woman to be so cold. 

.

In August the four of them take a road trip up to Seattle to visit the cousins and second cousins. There are more werewolves than Melissa's ever seen, and Talia keeps her tucked under her arm the whole day. She jokes that it's too make sure no one tries to steal her away, but Melissa catches her glaring down a few people who look too closely. 

If Rafael had ever pulled a move like that she would have slapped him- she definitely wouldn't have butterflies and a blush burning high on her cheeks. 

No one dares to look anywhere but her eyes for the rest of the weekend, and Talia is the very image of smugness. 

“They think you're mine.” 

And Melissa's question is out before she can help it, “Am I?” 

“If you want to be.”

And they're kissing behind the cabin, and everything falls into place. 

.

The next four months pass in a happy blur. Melissa still dreams with the nemeton, but it doesn't call out to her, and Deaton assured her it would- that she'd know when it was time to return. She isn't worried anymore, she knows Talia will save her son and everything will be like normal, only better. 

She has hope again. 

.

In January, she starts feeling the nemeton's pull. It isn't quite a pull though, more of a tickle in the back of her dreams, warning her that her time is short. Deaton looks up the next full moon, and it's a wolf moon on the twenty-fifth, and it seems a fitting day to return. She's excited to finally see Scott again, and she knows it'll work without a doubt.

She tells Talia once Deaton's completely positive, on the fifth. 

Talia proposes. 

“What?” 

“I'll wait, but it would be a comfort as you never said from when you came.” 

“Seven years,” Melissa says. “You don't have to-”

“Marry me,” she says, and so they do. 

It's a quick set up and ceremony, only them, the kids, and Deaton. He officiates, and Melissa tells herself this is a new beginning. 

That night, when they lay in bed, naked and sated, Melissa tells her everything she can remember. 

“You need to stay alive,” she says, “you can't be caught in the fire again.” 

Talia doesn't answer, kissing away her words and worries. 

.

On the night of the wolf moon, Melissa sits on the nemeton, waiting for it to take her. Talia wanted to be there, but the wolf moon had a ritual gathering, and Talia couldn't leave her children alone with so many of their distant family. So many that might covet Laura's inheritance, it simply wasn't safe.

The chill lifts off her shoulders, and suddenly Melissa can smell smoke, is screaming, and everything goes black. 

.

“Thank god you're back Mom,” is the first sentence she hears, and she hugs Scott.

“You're okay, you're alive,” she breathes into his shoulder, happy tears pouring down her face.

“Yeah, Deaton explained it to me, you were knocked out for a few hours.” Scott swallows, “I can't believe you did all that for me. Mom, you're incredible.” 

Melissa wipes her face, wearing a soft smile, “You needed it.” 

“Mom's back!” Cora exclaims, pouncing to give her a hug. Melissa laughs, and she's glad the girl didn't lose her cheerful spirit. She relaxes at that- things couldn't have been so bad, not if Cora hadn't gone back to being closed off like her first version was. Derek pats her back, and Laura comes out of nowhere with a hug. 

It takes a minute to click, and Melissa can feel her smile freeze. She swallows, tries to bite back all the emotions that are rising quickly in her throat, are closing off her air. 

“I thought she told you,” Laura says, biting her lip. “Um, she gave me these for you.” 

Laura hands her a note and Talia's ring.

Melissa isn't ready to read it, not yet, but she slips the ring on her finger and hugs Laura tight. 

“It's okay babygirl, I should have guessed.” 

.

_I'm not sorry,  
I love you._

**Author's Note:**

> [(tumblr? ^.^)](http://elasticella.tumblr.com/)


End file.
